Who Scored 70 Points In An NBA Game?

Did you know that only six players have ever scored 70 or more points in an NBA game? Wilt Chamberlain did it the most with eight times, while Kobe Bryant did it six times. Michael Jordan, David Thompson, Elgin Baylor, and Rick Barry all did it once.

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to score 70 points in a game. He did it in 1962 against the Knicks. Chamberlain was a physical specimen and he used his size and strength to dominate the game. He was also a great shooter and he had a very high basketball IQ.

Chamberlain’s early years

Wilt Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The youngest of nine children, he was raised in a single-parent home by his mother Louise. Despite his lack of a father figure, Chamberlain excelled in school and was a popular student. He began playing basketball at an early age and soon developed into a star player. In high school, he led his team to the state championships and was named Pennsylvania’s Player of the Year.

After graduation, Chamberlain enrolled at the University of Kansas, where he continued to dominate the sport. As a freshman, he averaged 29 points per game and led the Jayhawks to the NCAA championship game. He was named college basketball’s Player of the Year and was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Chamberlain left school after his junior year to pursue a professional career in basketball. He was drafted by the NBA’s Philadelphia Warriors and quickly began setting records. In his first season, he averaged 37 points per game and led the league in rebounds. The following year, he became the first player in NBA history to score more than 3,000 points in a season. He also set a new record for most points in a single game when he scored 100 against the New York Knicks.

Chamberlain’s college career

Wilt Chamberlain’s college career began with great promise. He was a varsity player at the University of Kansas for two years, and in his sophomore year he set a then-NCAA record by scoring 52 points against Northwestern. However, Chamberlain’s time at Kansas was not without controversy. In his junior year, he skipped several classes and as a result was suspended from the university for a semester. When he returned, he played only eight games before leaving school again to turn pro. Nevertheless, Chamberlain’s college career demonstrated his immense potential as a player, and he would go on to have a successful NBA career.

Chamberlain’s professional career

Chamberlain played his first professional game with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959. He earned $50,000 per year, which made him the highest-paid player in the NBA at the time. He quickly became one of the most dominant players in the league, winning Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors in his first season. He went on to lead the Warriors to the NBA Finals in his second season, where they lost to the Boston Celtics.

In 1962, Chamberlain was traded to the San Francisco Warriors (now known as the Golden State Warriors), where he helped lead them to an NBA championship in his first season. The following season, he was again named MVP and led the Warriors back to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Celtics.

Chamberlain was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers prior to the 1964-1965 season. He quickly became one of the most popular athletes in Philadelphia history, leading the 76ers to an NBA championship in 1967. He averaged 24.1 points and 23.8 rebounds per game during his time with the 76ers, earning him four straight MVP titles from 1966 to 1969.

In 1972, Chamberlain was traded back to the Lakers, where he spent his final five seasons. He helped lead them to an NBA championship in 1972 and another Finals appearance in 1973 before retiring in 1974.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. During his career, Bryant won five NBA championships, 18 NBA All-Star selections, four All-Star Game MVP awards, two NBA Finals MVP awards, and was the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2008.

Bryant’s early years

Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents named him after the famous Japanese steakhouse Kobe Bryant’s. He was raised in Italian-American household and became fluent in Italian. As a young child, Kobe showed great interest and skill in basketball. He would often play one-on-one against older children and even adults. At the age of just three, Kobe could already dunk a basketball!

Kobe’s talent for basketball continued to grow as he entered his teenage years. He attended Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, where he quickly established himself as one of the best players in the country. As a freshman, he was already starting on the varsity team. By the time he was a senior, Kobe was averaging over 30 points per game. He was named Pennsylvania’s Player of the Year and was drafted straight out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft.

Bryant’s high school career

Bryant chose to play high school basketball for Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. He played on the varsity team as a freshman. He became the first freshman in decades to start for Lower Merion’s varsity team, and led the Aces to their first state championship in 53 years. During his senior year, he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country after he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots per game. That season, he was named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men’s National Basketball Player of the Year, USA Today High School Player of the Year, Parade Magazine High School All-American Player of the Year, and McDonald’s All-American Game Most Valuable Player.

Bryant’s professional career

Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is the only player in NBA history to score 70 points in a game. He did it against the Los Angeles Lakers in a Chicago Bulls uniform. The game was played on March 28, 1987, at the Great Western Forum.

Jordan’s early years

Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Deloris (née Peoples), who worked in banking, and James R. Jordan Sr., who was an equipment supervisor for the Electriccompany. His family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina when he was a toddler. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he highlighted his athletic career by playing basketball, baseball and football. He tried out for the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year, but at 5’11” (1.80 m), he was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend, Harvey Grant, was eventually allowed to attend tryouts with him. Grant recalls that the coach looked at both of them and said: “You’re both cut”.

While Harvey played on the varsity team, Jordan spent most of his time playing pickup basketball games outside Bond Park in Wilmington. He later joined the Laney junior varsity squad when he received advice from then-Laney head coach Pop Herring that one day he might earn a scholarship to play college basketball if he continued to work hard at the game. In response to this advice, Jordan became determined to prove himself worthy and worked extremely hard during practices and off-season workouts where Herring would often see potential in Jordan that other players did not.[10] Jordan recalled feeling “sort of like [Herring] didn’t really give me a chance” until another coach from another school told Herring that “this kid’s something special”.[11]

Jordan’s college career

Jordan began college at the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the ACC’s 50–40–90 club after his freshman season, shooting 50.0% from the field, 41.7% from three-point range, and 82.8% from the foul line; he is one of only four players in NCAA Division I basketball history to achieve this feat and the only freshman ever to do so.[59] He was named NCAA College Player of the Year in 1983 and 1984.[60][61] He left North Carolina one year before his eligibility expired to enter the NBA draft.

Jordan’s professional career

Jordan played three seasons for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) as the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability helped him score points at will and earned comparisons to acrobatic performers such as Earl Monroe and Julius Erving. In 1986, he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the only player other than Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to win both that award and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in his first season. That same year he was named to the All-NBA First Team and led Chicago to its first playoff appearance since 1981.

During his career, Jordan held numerous records; he is still the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in both regular-season play and the playoffs, as well as averaging 30.1 points per game for his entire career. His fifteen All-NBA First Team designations are an all-time record for any player in any position. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History during league’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1996, and is one of only four players to be awarded two retired numbers by one team (23 and 45 by the Bulls). In addition to his shooting prowess, Jordan also developed into a superb passer and defender; he holds both Chicago franchise records for career assists (5,012) and steals (2, 306), respectively. Although early in his playing days Jordan was known primarily for his individual exploits on offense rather than his defensive prowess, he eventually transformed himself into one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history.